Tom Wood will make his England debut in Friday night's Six Nations opener against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.

The Northampton flanker was not included in Martin Johnson's original 33-man squad for the tournament but has been promoted from the Saxons panel following injuries to Leicester's Tom Croft and skipper Lewis Moody. With Moody out, Gloucester centre Mike Tindall has been appointed England captain for the first time.

Wood will wear Croft's vacant No.6 jersey to help bolster the English lineout, while Stade Francais' James Haskell will start in the unfamiliar openside berth. Leicester lock Louis Deacon returns in the second-row to partner Tom Palmer, in place of injured Northampton youngster
Courtney Lawes.

Jonny Wilkinson again makes do with a place on the bench as Leicester's Toby Flood and Ben Youngs are paired at halfback while Saints wing Chris Ashton returns to action following injury to join club team-mate Ben Foden and Sale wing Mark Cueto in the back-three.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has gambled by selecting James Hook at fullback. The Perpignan-bound playmaker has ousted Lee Byrne from the starting line-up, with Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies paired in midfield.

Davies' Scarlets team-mate, Morgan Stoddart, starts on the wing following an injury to Leigh Halfpenny, with Shane Williams completing the back-three. Halfpenny's ankle problem was the latest to hit an injury-ravaged squad, with Gatland unable to call on British & Irish Lions props Gethin Jenkins and Adam Jones as well as wing George North, centres Tom Shanklin and Andrew Bishop and banned scrum-half Richie Rees.

As a result of injuries to Jenkins and Jones there are starts for Ospreys props Paul James and Craig Mitchell, while Wasps No.8 Andy Powell is recalled to the starting line-up alongside flankers Dan Lydiate and Sam Warburton.